


Sweet Coincidence

by orphan_account



Series: Fire and Iron [1]
Category: JackSepticEye (YouTube RPF), Markiplier (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragon Jack, Gen, I got the urge to write a fantasy au, Prince Mark, possible series?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-24
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-27 22:56:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5068060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Today the country celebrated 150 years of peace. Today also marked the day they left their sugary treats for the dragon’s taking. No one ever watched the exchange, for the dragon liked its privacy, but today Mark would fix that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet Coincidence

**Author's Note:**

> First off, Seaghán is pronounced the same as "Sean" just so you know. Ireland spelled Sean that way before the 50s.
> 
> I may or my not turn this into a series. Depends on my mood. I really like the idea, and I woke up at 3 am to write it. Enjoy!

Mark knew all the legends. His father told many stories of the great dragon Seaghán, who protected his homeland for at least a century. While his great grandfather fought off their invading neighbors, the dragon swooped from the skies and drove the enemy out of his homeland. For years, to show their gratitude, the town bakers would leave 100 pastries in a wooden box for the dragon’s liking. In return, the dragon offered its protection.

Today the country celebrated 150 years of peace. Today also marked the day they left their sugary treats for the dragon’s taking. No one ever watched the exchange, for the dragon liked its privacy, but today Mark would fix that.

Mark stared at the large box in the clearing. He crouched down behind a bush and peeked through the leaves. The sun rays shone down through the trees and warmed patches of his skin. A light breeze ruffled his hair. His leg muscles cramped, and Mark wondered how long he knelt on the ground. Judging by the sun, at least all afternoon.

Mark sighed. Perhaps no one saw the dragon for years because it hid when it sensed someone nearby. Could it do that? Mark didn’t want to leave, but his stomach growled and reminded him food existed. As he stood up, the ground beneath him trembled. He heard three large footsteps to go with it, and he squatted back down on the grass. 

Out of the trees emerged a dragon that stood 10 men high. Its green scales shimmered in the sunlight like gemstones, and its ice blue eyes scanned over the clearing. It stomped across the grass and smelled the wooden box on the ground before taking it up in its jaws. As quick as it came, it left.

Mark watched the dragon saunter off into the woods. His heart raced. He stood up from his position in the bushes and watched. Seaghán was more beautiful than in the stories. Part of Mark wished to follow, but he didn’t want to intrude. After all, Seaghán had to be an old dragon. It must like its privacy. Mark’s mind warred with itself for several moments before he stood up and crept out of the bushes.

Mark kept a fair distance from the dragon. He didn’t want to make Seaghán feel threatened, but he also didn’t want to lose him in the forest. The sound of the rushing river reached his ears, and Mark knew they were getting close to Fire Falls, a large waterfall at the edge of his country’s border. The river roared nearby. Mark kept a safe distance between him and its shores as he followed.

Seaghán stopped. Mark froze in his tracks and watched the dragon put the box down in the grass. It looked around the clearing and smelled the air. It looked right at him. Mark’s heart skipped a beat. He held his breath and sunk down as low as possible. The dragon narrowed its eyes before it picked up the box in its jaws. With a few steps, the dragon disappeared behind the waterfall and into the cave behind it.

Mark released the breath he held and wondered if he should continue. Was that a warning? Why didn’t Seaghán chase him off? Did it want Mark to follow? Curiosity pooled in Mark’s stomach and hungered for answers. He edged toward the waterfall. His pulse rose with each step. The roaring in his ears drowned out the sound of the waterfall, and Mark’s throat ran dry.

As Mark neared the base of the falls, Seaghán’s head emerged from the water right in front of him. Mark quickly backtracked, lost his balance, and fell into the grass. Seaghán’s eyes stared at him and froze him to the spot. It opened its jaws and let out a low growling noise. The dragon walked out of the cave and spread its wings. It flapped them twice in the air, creating a breeze and shocking Mark from his daze. He stood up and took a few steps back, not daring to take his eyes off the dragon.

Seaghán watched Mark retreat, and it raised its head. Its scales glowed in the sunset light and looked like a thousand emeralds.

“What do you want?” it asked.

Its deep voice vibrated in Mark’s ribcage. Mark tried to swallow before holding up his hands as a sign of surrender. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

The dragon snuffed. “I should hope not. I don’t want to kill you.”

Mark clasped his hands and rubbed them together to warm his iced blood. He watched Seaghán walk closer and bring its head down to his level. 

The dragon continued, “I know who you are. A bit far away from home, aren’t we Prince Mark?”

“How did you know my name?”

The dragon snorted. “I know all the royals. It’s nice to know who I’m working for.” The dragon’s head rose as it looked to the sky. “Nightfall is coming. You won’t make it back to the castle before dark. It’s dangerous to walk in these woods at night. Who knows what would snatch you.”

Mark swallowed. He hadn’t thought of anything like that before following. The chill of night crept up on them, and Mark rubbed his arms. Seaghán turned its head back to Mark and stared for a few moments.

“I’m not returning you if that is what you’re thinking.”

“I wasn’t actually.”

It tilted its head to the right and narrowed its eyes. “Then how do you plan to get home?”

“I’m not sure.” Mark drug out his words. He looked back into the woods. The shadows began to warp the path, and Mark knew he would get lost before he had a chance to make it a fair distance through the woods.

Seaghán sighed through its nose. “If you must, you can stay with me for the night. Only tonight, and then you return home.”

“I don’t want to intrude.”

“You already have.”

Mark’s stomach dropped. He wrung his hands together before turning back toward the woods. He didn’t want to screw up what little protection his country had. Perhaps he could make it back. As he walked into the brush, scales nudged the back of his neck. Teeth gripped onto his shirt’s neckline, and his feet left the ground. Mark yelped and realized Seaghán carried him toward the waterfall. He shielded his face from the ice water with his hands and held his breath.

The inside of the caved dripped. Mark uncovered his face and blinked his eyes to adjust to the dim light. It smelled of must, and the air felt damp. Seaghán lowered his head and placed Mark on the ground.

“Don’t go off on your on you idiot,” Seaghán said. “What kind of protector would I be if I let the prince of the country go off to his death? Rest here for the night. You can return in the morning.”

Mark ran his hands over his arms and brushed the water off. Seaghán circled him for a moment before lying down in a ball and placing its head over its tail. 

Mark looked around. The cave stood well above Seaghán’s head. Stalactites dripped in a soothing rhythm. He didn’t know how deep the cave was, but judging by the dripping echo, it ran deeper than he wanted to find out. Mark sat in the dirt and brought his knees to his chest. It offered little warmth, and he started to shiver. 

Seaghán growled in annoyance before lifting his head. “I can’t offer much warmth, but I will light a fire for you. Stay here.” It rose to its feet and walked out of the cave. After what seemed like hours, Seaghán returned with sticks in its mouth. It placed them on the ground and assorted it in a pile with its claws. After liking their position, it brought its head down and breathed fire. The sticks sparked to life. Heat melted Mark’s skin. He turned to face it and sat parallel to Seaghán.

Once again, Seaghán lay down on the ground. Its eyes rested on Mark and watched the firelight shadows dance on him.

“Why did you follow me?”  
Mark thought for a moment. “I wanted to see if the stories were true. I mean, I heard about you all my life, but I never saw you. No one did. All we knew is we set food out once a year and the next day it was gone.”

Seaghán’s lips curled into a smile. “I like my privacy.”

“I noticed.” Mark ran a hand through his hair. “I can sympathize with that.”

“A prince that isn’t a people person? Who would’ve thought.”

Mark dry laughed at Seaghán’s sarcasm. “There’s a reason my brother is ruling and not me. I couldn’t handle the pressure. And besides, I don’t want people to look up to me as their king. I want them to see me as equal.”

Seaghán listened to Mark drabble on about how the country should be run. Halfway through his ramble, Mark yawned. He didn’t realize how long he spoke until the firelight cast the only light in the cave.

Seaghán’s head rested on its tail. Mark wondered if he bored the dragon and it listened out of courtesy or if Mark’s ideas interested it. Either way, he liked the company. Seaghán was easy to talk to, and Mark didn’t talk to enough people like that. It refreshed him a bit.

“Perhaps we should sleep,” Mark said after a slight pause in his rant.

“Sounds like a plan.” Seaghán stretched and folded its wings close to its body. It muttered a quick ‘good night’ before it closed its eyes.

Mark lay down on his stomach and cradled his head in his arms. It wasn’t long before the crackling fire lulled him into a dreamless sleep.

\-----

Mark awoke to the smell of smoldering embers and the roar of the waterfall. He cracked his eyes open and sucked in a deep breath through his nose. He forgot he fell asleep in a cave with a dragon. Mark sat up and stretched his arms over his head. Sleeping on the ground wasn’t new but still uncomfortable. He scanned the cave- now lit up by the fresh rose sun- and realized Seaghán left. He furrowed his brow. The dragon didn’t say anything about leaving when the sun rose, but Mark couldn’t expect it to stay there as he slept.

Mark stood up and used the rocks to squeeze between the waterfall and the cave wall. Icy water sprayed his face and hair. He jumped onto dry land and let the sun’s rays warm his skin for a moment. The day begun long without him, and no doubt the palace guards searched the woods for him now.

Mark followed the river through the woods until he came upon the trampled grassy path. His stomach growled. Mark rubbed his stomach and made plans to go into town for some food. He couldn’t remember the last time he walked among his people, and he knew they enjoyed when he came to visit, so a trip to their homes would be a treat to not only him but to them. Besides, he had a new story to tell.

The sound of the town reached his ears. Mark quickened his pace. People bustled about and chattered in the town square. The smell of fresh baked bread reached his nose as he entered the town limits. People smiled as he passed and gave a formal greeting, to which he replied with his usual head nod and smile. A few children stared and asked their parents questions, but some day, they would realize they could speak to Mark. He stepped inside the baker’s shop and drew in the aroma of fresh bread, sweet pastries, and the smell of a well baked breakfast.

The baker looked around a customer at the counter and smiled. “Welcome, your highness.”

Mark opened his mouth to speak, until blue eyes met his. He knew those eyes. The stranger at the counter smiled, and Mark swallowed hard.

“Good morning, your majesty,” the man said in an unfamiliar accent.

It had to be a coincidence.

Despite his shock, Mark didn’t drop his cheerful smile as he walked to the counter. The baker all but bounced as he waited for Mark to choose which bread he wanted, and Mark could feel the stranger staring at him as he scanned the bread filled shelves. He set upon a plain piece of bread and handed the baker a few more gold coins than necessary. The baker offered him change as usual. Mark held up his hand and refused. The stranger watched Mark leave the shop, and Mark met his eyes again.

“Heading home?” The stranger asked, his smile turning more into a smirk.

Mark’s smile strained as he responded, “Yes. I’ve been out all night, and I’m sure my family is worried about me.”

“They should be. It’s dangerous to walk those woods at night. Who knows what would snatch you.”

Mark nodded before leaving the shop. His mind replayed those last words over in a deeper voice. They matched what Seaghán said when they first met. Those eyes…

It couldn’t be coincidence.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to also check out my tumblr [of-nerds-n-cookies](www.of-nerds-n-cookies.tumblr.com) for more fic reccomendations.


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